Table with pivotal folding leg



June 3, 1958 E. .1. STRAITS TABLE wrm mom. FOLDING LEG 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 9. 1956 June 3, 1958 E. J. STRAITS 2,837,392

TABLE wrm PIVOTAL FOLDING LEG 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. E 772855 J 5270,2135,

Unite tate TABLE WITH PIVOTAL FOLDING LEG Ernest J. Straits, St. Charles, 11]., assignor to Acme Steel Company, Chicago, EL, a corporation of Illinois This invention relates to improvements in tables and its purpose is to provide a table having supporting legs which are attached to the table top and reinforced in an improved manner.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a table having improved collapsible or folding legs whereby the assembled table may be caused to occupy a minimum of space for convenience and economy in shipment or storage. A further object is to provide novel means for attaching table legs to a table top whereby the legs may be adjusted with respect to the top and folded into positions parallel to the plane of the top and adjacent thereto so that a compact arrangement of the entire assembly is brought about. Another object of the invention is to provide a table having a top provided with hinged legs adapted to be reinforced by detachable braces. A further object is to provide improved means for attaching hinges to table legs whereby these parts may be readily assembled. Still another object of the invention is to pro vide a table having hinged legs inclined downwardly and outwardly from the margins of the table top and provided with means whereby they may be rotated about their longitudinal axes so that they may be folded against the table within the boundary of its outer edges. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Figure l shows a perspective View of the table of the present invention in an inverted position with the legs in their folded positions and with the braces attached to the table top, whereby the parts of the table have a compact arrangement in readiness to be placed in a substantially thin carton for shipment;

Fig. 2 shows a diagonal vertical section through one corner portion of the table, showing the arrangement of an inclined brace with respect to a leg and the table top;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a corner portion of the underside of the table, showing a table leg in its normal unfolded position and reinforced by an inclined brace member;

Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the corner portion of the table structure as it is illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 shows a vertical section taken endwise of the inverted table showing a hinge about to be connected to a table leg;

Fig. 6 shows a horizontal section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 7 shows a bottom plan view of a portion of a table leg and its connected hinge, illustrating by dotted lines the angular adjustment of the hinge to permit the table leg to be swung to a position within the boundaries of the table; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the inverted table and the hinge, similar to that of Fig. 5, showing the hinge atent O 2,$37,392 Patented June 3, 1958 ice fully connected to a table leg and illustrating, by dotted lines, the position of a leg in a folded position.

As illustrated in the drawings, the invention is embodied in a table comprising a table top 10, which may be formed of wood, plastic, metal or other suitable material, and which is in the form of a rectangular plate of oblong form provided on its under side around its edge with a reinforcing rim 11 which is attached to the body portion of the table top by screws 12. This table top has secured thereto adjacent its corners four legs 13 which may be formedof metal, plastic or other suitable material, and which are attached to the under side of the table top 10 by means of hinges 14. Each leg has attached to the lower end thereof a ferrule 15 provided with a foot portion 15a adapted to rest upon the floor 16. When the legs are in their normal operative positions they extend downwardly from the table top and are inclined outwardly and they are adapted to be secured in that position by means of V-shaped metal braces 18, each of which is secured at its apex to the inner side of a leg 13 by means of a screw 19. The end portions of the arms of the braces 18 are provided with outwardly directed flanges 18a provided with apertures which are engaged by studs 20 secured in the table top and extending downwardly therefrom. Wing nuts 21 engage the threaded ends of the studs 20 to hold the braces 18 securely attached to the table top.

Each hinge 14 comprises a plate 14a, secured by screws 22 to the under side of the table top, and connected by pivot pins 1412 with another plate 14c Which is connected to the tubular top end portion of a table leg 13 in the manner shown particularly in Figs. 5 and 8. This connection is made by a rivet 23 which is secured in the plate of the hinge and which extends downwardly therefrom through a sleeve 24 with its lower end riveted over a resilient metal plate 25. This plate is somewhat cup-shaped in an upward direction when the leg is in its normal operative position and it comprises a plurality of arms 25a which are adapted to be sprung into frictional interlocking engagement with the tubular end portion 13a of the leg. When this locking plate 25 is initially brought into engagement with the tubular end of the table leg 13, as shown in Fig. 5, the arms 25a project outwardly slightly beyond the tubular surface of the bore of the leg, as shown in Fig. 5. The leg is then thrust downwardly from the position shown inFig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 8, with the result that the arms 25a are flexed and exert a tight frictional grip on the wall of the tubular chamber 13b, the edges 25b of the arms biting into the metal or other material of the table. leg so that the leg is securely held in fixed relation to the hinge plate 140. The leg may then be swung about the pivot pin 14b toward and from the position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 8.

One of the primary advantages of the present invention is that the legs may be folded into positions adjacent to and in parallel relation to the plane of the table top, as shown in Fig. 1, but, since it is desirable to have the legs flare outwardly and downwardly when they are in their operative positions, the folding of the legs to the position shown in Fig. 1 would present a problem if provisions were not made for adjusting the axes of the hinges 14 so that the legs may be swung upwardly without interference with each other or with the marginal rim 11 of the table. In order to permit the legs to be readily folded in this manner, the hinge plates 14a are provided with arcuate slots 14d which are engaged by the screws 22 and, when it is desired to fold the table legs 13, the screws 22 are released and the hinge plates 14a are turned about these screws, as permitted by the slots 14d, until the hinge plates are in such a position that the legs rnay be folded 3 against the table topin overlapping position, asshown in Fig. 1.

When the legs have been moved to the'folded position shown in Fig. 1, the screws 22 are tightened to hold the legs in that position and the braces 18 are clamped to the under side of the table by means of a clamping plate 26 and a bolt 27. The entire assembly is then in a relatively compact relation with the legs 13 lying substantially within the marginal rim 11 so that the entire table may be packed in a comparatively thin fibre board box for shipment to the trade. When the package reaches its destination, the table may be removed from the carton and the legs quickly placed in their operative positions by readjusting the hinge plates 14a and moving the legs 13 about the hinge pins 22, after which the braces 18 are removed from the clamping plate 26 and are attached to the table top and to the table legs in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

One form of the invention is shown and described by way of illustration, but it wili be understood that the invention may be constructed in various other embodiments which come within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A table comprising a table top, a hinge including two hinge plates pivotally interconnected, means mounting one of said hinge plates to the under side of said table top, a rivet having one end thereof fixedly secured to the other of said hinge plates and extending outwardly therefrom substantially perpendicular thereto, a mounting plate fixedly attached to the other end of said rivet and having a plurality of resilient engaging arms extending outwardly therefrom, and a leg having an upper hollow tubular portion, said mounting plate being positioned within said tubular portion with said arms biting into the material of said leg to mount said leg on said other hinge plate whereby pivotally to mount said leg upon said table top.

2. A table as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for mounting the one hinge plate includes a plurality of arcuate slots in the one hinge plate and a fastener for each of said slots extending therethrough and into the under side of the table top to permit rotation of said one hinge plate with respect to said table top upon loosening of the fasteners, and wherein a V-shaped brace is provided to hold the leg in supporting position, the apex of the brace being connected to the leg and the ends of the brace being fixedly attached to the under side of said table top.

3. A table comprising a table top, a hinge including two hinge plates pivotally interconnected, means mounting one of said hinge plates to the under side of said table top, the other of said hinge plates having a circular embossment formed thereon extending away from the table top when said other hinge plate is positioned thereagainst, a rivet having one end thereof fixedly secured to said other hinge plate at the center of said embossment and extending outwardly therefrom substantially perpendicular thereto, a pair of spaced apart retaining shoulders formed adjacent the other end of said rivet, a mounting plate including a cup-shaped apertured body portion mounted on said other end of said rivet and held thereon between said retaining shoulders, a plurality of resilient engaging arms formed integral with said body portion and extending outwardly radially therefrom, and

a leg having an upper hollow tubularportion receiving said embossment therein at the upper end thereof, said mounting plate being positioned within said tubular portion, said arms normally having an extent greater than the internal diameter of said tubular portion, the outer ends of said arms resiliently engaging and biting into the material of said leg to mount said leg on said other hinge plate whereby pivotally to mount said leg upon said table top.

4. A hinged leg for mounting on a table top, comprising a leg having an upper hollow tubular portion, a hinge including two hinge plates pivotally interconnected, means formed on one of said hinge plates to mount said one hinge plate on the underside of an associated table top, a rivet having one end thereof fixedly secured to the other of said hinge plates and extending outwardly therefrom substantially perpendicular thereto, a mounting plate fixedly attached to the other end of said rivet and having a plurality of resilient engaging arms extending outwardly therefrom, said mounting plate being positioned within said tubular portion with said arms biting into the material of said leg to mount said leg on said other hinge plate.

5. A hinged leg as set forth in claim 4, wherein the means to mount the one hinge plate on an associated table top includes a plurality of arcuately disposed slots arranged with the radius of the arcs thereof equal in length and having a common center.

6. A hinged leg for supporting a table top, comprising a leg having an upper hollow tubular portion, a hinge including two hinge plates pivotally interconnected, means formed on one of said hinge plates to mount said one hinge plate on the under side of an associated table top, the other of said hinge plates having a circular ernbossment formed thereon and extending into the upper end of said leg, a rivet having one end thereof fixedly secured to said other hinge plate at the center of said embossment and extending therefrom substantially perpendicular thereto and into said hollow tubular portion, a pair of spaced apart retaining shoulders formed adjacent the other end of said rivet, a mounting plate including a cup-shaped apertured body portion mounted on said one end of said rivet and held thereon between said retaining shoulders, a plurality of resilient engaging arms formed integral with said body portion and extending out wardly radially therefrom, the normal extent of said arms being beyond the inner periphery of said tubular portion, the outer ends of said arms resiliently engaging and biting into the material of said leg to mount said leg on said other hinge plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 485,855 Bassett Nov. 8, 1892 510,232 Bassett Dec. 5, 1893 1,185,233 Minnis May 30, 1916 1,187,190 Silvis June 13, 1916 1,429,969 Palmer Sept. 26, 1922 1,842,076 Dillhoefer Jan. 19, 1932 2,545,347 Embrec Mar. 13, 1951 2,698,775 Courtwright Jan. 4, 1955 2,731,316 Cohen Jan. 17, 1956 2,738,246 Hogan Mar. 13, 1956 2,768,043 Kristoif Oct. 23,1956 

